4 Atarangi Road, Greenlane, Auckland
View on mapGreenlane Childcare Centre
Greenlane Childcare Centre
ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
ERO’s Judgement
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
Curriculum |
Meeting |
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
Health and safety |
Meeting |
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Background
Greenlane Childcare Centre is a privately owned education and care centre. The service has been re-licensed and has been under new ownership since July 2020. The owner is responsible for governance and management, and she is supported by a head teacher and five qualified teachers. Enrolled children are ethnically diverse and include a small number of Māori children.
Summary of Review Findings
The service curriculum provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development, both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups. It is inclusive, and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. They provide a language-rich environment that supports children’s learning. The curriculum supports children’s developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour.
Key Next Steps
Next steps include:
-
continuing to develop the internal evaluation process, including monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the cycle and outcomes for children
-
taking a more consistent, systematic approach to seeking and responding to parent/whānau aspirations for their children’s learning
-
increasing opportunities children have to hear and speak te reo Māori in meaningful learning contexts.
Compliance
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
-
Ensuring safety checking meets the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014 (GMA7A).
Next ERO Review
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
30 August 2023
Information About the Service
Early Childhood Service Name | Greenlane Childcare Centre |
Profile Number | 20061 |
Location | Greenlane, Auckland |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
37 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
Service roll |
43 |
Review team on site |
July 2023 |
Date of this report |
30 August 2023 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
First ERO review of the service. |
General Information about Assurance Reviews
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:
-
having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
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previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
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that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
-
that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
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where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
-
curriculum
-
premises and facilities
-
health and safety practices
-
governance, management and administration.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulatory standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
-
emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
-
physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
-
suitable staffing (including qualification levels; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)
-
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
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discussions with those involved in the service
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consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
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observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.
Greenlane Childcare Centre - 19/02/2020
1 Evaluation of Greenlane Childcare Centre
How well placed is Greenlane Childcare Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Greenlane Childcare Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
Background
Greenlane Childcare Centre is a well-established early childhood centre. It is licensed to provide education and care for 30 children, including up to three under two years of age. All children share the indoor and spacious outside spaces.
The centre owner is the director and maintains a strong interest and oversight of the centre. The long-serving centre manager is responsible for day-to-day operations. She leads a stable team of four qualified teachers, including a head teacher, and part-time staff. There are high staff:child ratios.
The centre's philosophy of creating a home away from home where children can learn, be loved and have fun guides centre practices. This philosophy is underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
ERO's 2016 report acknowledged the calm, child-focused environment, the children's strong sense of belonging and their sustained play and learning through purposefully selected resources. These aspects of good practice continue to be positive features of the centre. The report also identified areas to strengthen, including appraisal processes and leadership support. Progress has been made in these areas.
The Review Findings
Children settle very quickly. Teachers provide an environment that has a calm atmosphere and focuses on building a sense of belonging. Their interactions are respectful and responsive to children's needs and wishes.
Children are developing social competence. They are articulate and confident. Children are empowered to take responsibility and make decisions about their play and learning. They develop friendships and play well together through creating challenging and problem-solving play possibilities. Teachers are growing in their confidence to implement bicultural practices.
Children benefit from a variety of open-ended resources that enable sustained play and learning. They explore, inquire, experiment, take risks and solve problems in the spacious, shared learning areas. Teachers take advantage of the proximity to Cornwall Park with regular visits to provide rich experiences that build on the children's oral language and understandings about the world.
Learning programmes are based on children’s dispositions and emerging interests. Teachers use a ‘notice, recognise and respond’ approach to assess and plan for children's learning. They plan programmes that provide all children with opportunities for challenge and complexity in their play. The owner and leaders value professional development, with a strong focus on curriculum and leadership, that contributes to ongoing improvements.
There is a strong sense of belonging and partnerships with whānau. Parents who spoke to ERO appreciate how leaders and teachers provide opportunities for parents to be engaged in their children’s learning and to socialise with other families. Whānau are kept informed through daily electronic communication, informal discussions and individual portfolios.
The owner and leaders value professional development, with a strong focus on curriculum and leadership, that contributes to ongoing improvements.
Systems for monitoring and promoting improvement have been established. Strengthening the alignment between the philosophy and strategic and annual plans could guide future direction. More formal evaluation of the impact of teachers' planning and programme implementation on outcomes for children, should support ongoing improvement.
Key Next Steps
Centre leaders agree that next steps for continual improvement include:
-
specific reflection and evaluation of the impact of programme planning and practice on children's learning outcomes, including the programme for four-year-old children
-
planning to make the children's learning more visible and inclusive of Māori perspectives
-
strengthening appraisal processes by using formal observations of teachers' practice.
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Greenlane Childcare Centre completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
- curriculum
- premises and facilities
- health and safety practices
- governance, management and administration.
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
-
emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
-
physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
-
suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
-
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services
Northern Region
19 February 2020
The Purpose of ERO Reports
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.
2 Information about the Early Childhood Service
Location |
Greenlane, Auckland |
||
Ministry of Education profile number |
20061 |
||
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 3 aged under 2 |
||
Service roll |
33 |
||
Gender composition |
Boys 18 Girls 15 |
||
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Chinese other ethnic groups |
2 20 7 4 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
October 2019 |
||
Date of this report |
19 February 2020 |
||
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
January 2016 |
|
Education Review |
October 2011 |
||
Education Review |
September 2008 |
3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews
ERO’s Evaluation Framework
ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
ERO’s Overall Judgement
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
-
Very well placed
-
Well placed
-
Requires further development
-
Not well placed
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
Review Coverage
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.
Greenlane Childcare Centre - 20/01/2016
1. Evaluation of Greenlane Childcare Centre
How well placed is Greenlane Childcare Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Background
Greenlane Childcare Centre in Greenlane, Auckland, is a privately owned centre, located in a renovated bungalow. The centre provides full day education and care and is licensed for 30 children, mostly over two years of age. Teachers respect children as capable and competent learners and communicators. They aim to create a home away from home, where children can learn, be confident and have fun.
Although management roles have changed since ERO’s 2011 review, most teachers have worked together for some years. There have been internal promotions to fill the roles of the centre manager and supervisor. All staff are well qualified and the owner continues to provide good governance and management support for the centre manager.
Extensive improvements have been made to meet the 2008 licensing requirements. The centre has also responded positively to recommendations made in the 2011 ERO report that included strategies for sharing children’s progress with parents. Teachers are continuing to work towards developing learning partnerships with parents. Good teaching practices such as positive relationships and following children’s interests are still evident.
The Review Findings
Families are warmly welcomed at the start of the day. The calm, child-focused environment supports children to create meaningful friendships and play sociably with each other. Children develop a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing in the centre.
Children are friendly, confident and capable learners. They are able to sustain their imaginative play and learning through purposefully selected resources. Regular excursions play an important role in enriching and supporting children’s learning.
Teachers are gentle and affectionate with children. They listen respectfully and carefully to children’s ideas and concerns. Teachers support and extend children’s emerging interests. They promote children’s oral language and encourage children to express themselves. Toddlers have good quality care and learning activities. A programme for older children supports their transition to school.
Teachers provide programmes based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. They recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a guiding influence in the curriculum. Te reo and tikanga Māori are included in the daily programme.
The attractive and spacious outdoor environment is well designed. Both inside and outside learning areas offer challenges and resources for children to explore. Wall displays reflect programme activities and children’s learning.
Teachers support parents to manage children’s health and behaviour challenges. Children with special learning needs are well supported in their learning and external support is provided when required.
Parents who spoke to ERO during the review appreciate the frequent opportunities that teachers provide for discussing children’s progress and development. Centre managers are now considering ways to strengthen learning partnerships with families and to recognise and value children’s cultural backgrounds and home languages.
Teachers use learning stories as a way of assessing children’s learning and development. They should now ensure that there is greater consistency in learning stories and that parent aspirations are included. Teachers should also use assessment records to show each child’s progress over time.
The centre manager provides inclusive leadership and values collaborative working approaches. Staff meet regularly to plan activities that reflect children’s strengths and current interests. The programme and resources enhance children’s learning. Teachers could now strengthen their evaluative thinking as they review their teaching and reflect on learning outcomes for children.
Management procedures and recently established self-review systems provide a good framework for centre operations. Strategic and annual plans clearly reflect the centre’s goals. Curriculum priorities should be included into these plans to support high quality learning outcomes for children. The owner and staff will need to explore ways to sustain new management processes to achieve their shared vision of a high performing centre.
Key Next Steps
To support ongoing centre improvement and build sustainable practices, the owner and manager agree that the key next steps are to:
- strengthen teacher appraisal processes so that appraisal more clearly reflects the centre’s philosophy and strategic goals
- continue to provide external professional support for the manager and supervisor in their educational leadership roles.
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Greenlane Childcare Centre completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
- curriculum
- premises and facilities
- health and safety practices
- governance, management and administration.
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
- emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
- physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
- suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
- evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
To improve current practices, the manager should refine the number of centre policies and procedures and review the policies systematically to ensure the centre is meeting its legal obligations.
Next ERO Review
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of Greenlane Childcare Centre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
20 January 2016
The Purpose of ERO Reports
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.
2. Information about the Early Childhood Service
Location |
Greenlane, Auckland |
||
Ministry of Education profile number |
20061 |
||
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 3 aged under 2 |
||
Service roll |
36 |
||
Gender composition |
Boys 21 Girls 15 |
||
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Indian |
3 31 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
October 2015 |
||
Date of this report |
20 January 2016 |
||
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2011 |
|
Education Review |
September 2008 |
||
Education Review |
September 2005 |
3. General Information about Early Childhood Reviews
ERO’s Evaluation Framework
ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
- Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
- Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
- Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
- Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
Review Coverage
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.